William of Newburgh (1136?-1198?), also known as Nubrigensis, was a 12th century English historian, and monk, from Yorkshire. Events Completion of the Saint Denis Basilica in Paris Peter Abelard writes the Historia Calamitatum, detailing his relationship with Heloise People of Novgorod rebel against the hereditary prince Vsevolod and depose him Births Amalric I of Jerusalem William of Newburgh, English historian (died 1198) Deaths November 15 - Margrave Leopold III... Events End of the reign of Emperor Go-Toba of Japan Emperor Tsuchimikado ascends to the throne of Japan January 8 - Pope Innocent III ascends Papal Throne Frederick II, infant son of German King Henry VI, crowned King of Sicily Births August 24 - Alexander II of Scotland (d. ... English historians in the Middle Ages is an overview of the history of English historians and their works in the Middle Ages. ... The White Yorkshire rose. ...

William of Newburgh

His major work was Historia rerum Anglicarum (History of English Affairs), a history of England from 1066 to 1198. The work is valued by historians for detailing The Anarchy under Stephen of England. It is written in an engaging fashion and still highly readable to this day, containing many fascinating stories and glimpses in to 12th century medieval life. The Anarchy in English history commonly names the period of civil war and unsettled government that occurred during the reign (1135–1154) of King Stephen of England. ... Stephen (1096 – October 25, 1154), the last Norman King of England, reigned from 1135 to 1154, when he was succeeded by his cousin Henry II, the first of the Angevin or Plantagenet Kings. ...

Newburgh has been called by Freeman "the father of historical criticism"¹. Newburgh saw his own work as being historically accurate, unlike Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the British Kings, which Newburgh was critical of saying "only a person ignorant of ancient history would have any doubt about how shamelessly and impudently he lies in almost everything".² Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. ...

Because belief in souls returning from the dead was common in the 12th century, Newburghs Historia briefly recants stories he heard about revenants, as does the work of Walter Map, his southern contemporary. Although a minor part of both works, these folklore accounts have attracted attention within occultism.³ A revenant in the Middle Ages was an animate corpse which rose from the grave to haunt the living. ... Walter Map (~1137-1209) was a medieval writer, probably either of Welsh origin or from Herefordshire (which at the time was almost the same thing). ... For other uses of this term, see occult (disambiguation). ...

See also

• William Fitz Osbern (1196) - The story of William Fitz Osbern, from William of Newburgh's historical account.
• Wimund (bishop) - The story of Wimund the bishop, from William of Newburgh's historical account.
• Medieval revenants - The story of those souls who return from the dead, from William of Newburgh's historical account.

William Fitz Osbern was a citizen of London who took up the role of the advocate of the poor in a popular uprising in the spring of 1196. ... Wimund was an English bishop who became a sea-faring war-lord adventurer in the 1130s and 1140s. ... In the Middle Ages, the idea that souls of dead return to earth and haunt the living was commonly believed. ...

Sources

• The History of English Affairs Online excerpts, as part of The Church Historians of England, volume IV, part II; translated by Joseph Stevenson (London: Seeley's, 1861). Spelling modernized 1999 by Scott McLetchie.
• The History of 'William of Newburgh' (1066-1194), Joseph Stevenson (Translator), LLanerch Press, 1996, ISBN 1861430132 - This is believed to be the Seeley's 1861 version as seen above, without Scott McLetchie's spelling updates.
• Chronicles of the Reigns of Stephen, Henry II and Richard I. Edited by Richard Howlett. Rolls Series no. 82. London, 1884-9. Books 1-4 of William's history appear in volume 1, book 5 in volume 2. Most recent complete source.
• The History of English Affairs, Book I (Medieval Latin Texts), by William, P.G. Walsh, M.J. Kennedy, 1988, ISBN 0856683043, Book I only.

Footnotes

• Note 1: Freeman, Contemporary Review, vol. XXXIII (1878), p. 216.
• Note 2: Historia rerum Anglicarum, Book I, Preface, Retrieved Jan. 2005
• Note 3: see Medieval revenants#References

In the Middle Ages, the idea that souls of dead return to earth and haunt the living was commonly believed. ...

External links

• Latin Chroniclers from the Eleventh to the Thirteenth Centuries: William of Newburgh from The Cambridge History of English and American Literature, Volume I, 1907–21.